About

What is The Green Garden Bakery?:Green Garden Bakery (GGB) is a group of young-entrepreneurs from Heritage Park - North Minneapolis, who have started their own eco-friendly vegetable based dessert social enterprise. GGB grows vegetables in their urban garden, bakes them into healthy desserts for every diet (vegan, gluten free, sugar free, etc), packages and advertises the desserts using sustainable practices, and sells them at farmer's markets, pop-up sales, and online throughout Minneapolis. All GGB products are sold at “pay-what-you-want” and 1/3 of the profit each month are donated to a local community need GGB youth leaders identify.

Where does the money from this business go?:

1/3 of the profit is reinvested back into the business.

1/3 of the profit is donated to a local community need the youth identify.

1/3 is divided evenly among the youth to compensate for their time.

History: The Green Garden Bakery business and youth leadership program is currently supported by the not for profit organizationUrban Strategies Inc. Green Garden Bakery's goal is to support the leadership development, community engagement, and economic mobility of youth in Heritage Park.Since 2010, Urban Strategies has been providing cooking, garden, and nutrition classes for youth in Heritage Park. After participating for a few years, a few of these youth approached the staff with an innovative idea. These siblings, neighbors, and friends since Kindergarten decided they wanted to take the cooking and gardening skills they developed and create a business. The youth piloted their business in 2014 with the selling of green tomato cakes using recycled packaging and spreading environmental awareness. The youth grew the tomatoes in their own youth garden, harvested the tomatoes, perfected their recipe, developed their brand and business, and worked hard throughout Minneapolis to make sales. There first sale was in Fall 2014 at the Global Market Green Fair and they made over $1000 in profits. Check out this mini-documentary the youth made in 2014 with Intermedia Arts about their neighborhood and their businesshere.

How does this youth-run business make a difference in the community?:The business engages under-served youth in a year-round program in their own neighborhood. The business is led by 16 youth executive leaders and the youth development program is comprised of over 100+ K-12th grade youth participating in out-of-school time programming that supports the business. It teaches these youth tangible skills including: gardening, baking, business basic, entrepreneurship, eco-art, environmentalism, and marketing. The youth in the neighborhood really enjoy these classes and it is the most highly attended program in the neighborhood. Additionally, Heritage Park is considered a food dessert by USDA-- Green Garden Bakery's youth garden and cooking classes provides easily accessibly food for the residents within Heritage Park. ﻿Lastly, Green Garden Bakery youth donate 1/3 of their proceeds back into the community. In 2016 these donations included buying security systems for 4 families, supporting Heritage Park's Girl Scout service learning trip to New Orleans, buying groceries and planning meals for families in need, purchasing production equipment for a neighborhood start-up, and more!